Reckonings. Cynthia Eden

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СКАЧАТЬ was so hard, muscled, against hers. His right hand held hers, cradling it lightly, and she could feel the edge of calluses on his fingers. Davis was a man used to hard work.

      Hard work and danger.

      “You smell so sweet.” His voice was even deeper. Rumbling. She could almost feel that voice inside her.

      “It’s, um, lavender. My body lotion.” And that was so not a savvy, sophisticated thing to say back to him. But her sophisticated days were long gone. Not that she’d really had them, anyway. But every part of the life she’d led was gone.

      He pulled her even closer. “I like your hair down. Usually, you keep it in that little twist at your nape. I didn’t even realize how long it was.”

      And she hadn’t even realized he’d noticed her hair. Davis hadn’t seemed to pay her that much attention when she visited the ranch to tend to his animals. Sure, he’d been there each time she’d come out, and that was a little surprising since she knew he worked so much in Austin, but—

      “You’re a million miles away,” Davis said.

      Jamie shook her head. “No, I’m right here.” She’d put her head on his chest. It had seemed so natural to do that. The music was soft, romantic, and their bodies were swaying together. She wasn’t nervous. Wasn’t scared. She was just...

      Almost happy.

      “If I said I wanted to kiss you...” Davis murmured, “would you tell me to go to hell or...?”

      She tensed. “Do you want to kiss me?”

      “You’re a beautiful woman, Doc. Don’t sound so surprised. I know there are plenty of men who have wanted to kiss you.”

      She stopped the swaying of her body and eased back, but didn’t lose her hold on him. She liked touching him. Odd, when she made a point not to get physically close to too many people. “I’m not talking about plenty of men right now. I’m talking about you.”

      His eyes gleamed. “You’re a direct woman. I like that. I don’t have time for lies and tricks.”

      Too bad. I’m all about lies. “You’re a man with secrets,” she threw right back. “So don’t give me that line. Everyone is more than they appear to be. We all wear masks for the world to see.”

      His hold tightened on her waist. “You keep surprising me. Not many people can do that.”

      The heat from his body was wrapping around her. Tempting her to get closer to him again. To put her head back on him, to let go, just for a little while.

      “I do want to kiss you,” Davis said. He seemed to be staring at her mouth, and, nervously, she wet her lips. “I’ve wanted that for a very long time. Probably since the first day I met you.”

      Was he serious? Or just trying to charm her into bed?

      “But what do you want, Jamie?”

      Ah, now he’d just called her Jamie and not “Doc” like he often did. She’d rather grown used to hearing his drawl when he used that little nickname.

      And what do I want? She stared up at him and knew that—for an instant—she’d like to let go of her fear. To just feel. To just get lost in a man’s arms and in his kiss. It would be wonderful to act like any other woman. To simply let go...

       Do it.

      Davis McGuire was one of the good guys. He and his brothers helped people. They were all ex-military. Davis was a former SEAL. Tough, but good. True hero material. Sure, the things he’d done might scare her because she realized the guy knew how to fight hard and dirty but...

       He won’t hurt me.

      If there was any man she could trust, it should be him.

       But you trusted the wrong man before.

      His head lowered toward hers. “One kiss.”

      One. One sounded fair. Or maybe that was just the champagne talking. She found herself leaning up on her tiptoes. Clutching his shoulders. Their lips were almost touching.

      Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe she’d already let things go too far. But...

      One kiss. What could it hurt?

      Jamie opened her mouth. Her lips pressed to his.

      One kiss.

      It should have been gentle. It should have been light. It shouldn’t have wrecked her world. Passion like that wasn’t real. It was in movies. It was—

       Consuming.

      His arms wrapped around her as he brought her even closer. His tongue thrust past her lips, and he kissed her deep. Kissed her hard. Kissed her as if he’d been desperate to taste her for so long.

      And she kissed him the same way. As if a flood of need had just erupted within her—and it had. Passion burned, and she couldn’t get close enough to him. Couldn’t touch him enough. She knew desire, she’d certainly felt it before. This was different. This was...

      Jamie kept kissing him. She stopped thinking and she just felt.

      * * *

      THE HUNT WAS OVER.

      It had been such a very long hunt. So many miles. So many years. She’d run from him. Hurt him. Lied to him.

      But he’d found her. He’d found his Jamie again. And it was finally time to claim her once more.

      He stared at her little house. So very far removed from the home where she’d lived when she was his. The stars glittered behind the house. There were no nearby neighbors. No one to watch out for Jamie.

      No one to hear her scream.

      He smiled. Would she be scared when she saw him again? Or happy? Probably both. After all, Jamie had been bad, so he’d have to punish her. At first.

      But he loved her. She loved him. That was what mattered most.

      He headed toward her door. This was the first time he’d gone so close to the house. Because it’s time to have my Jamie again.

      His gaze flickered down, and he saw the welcome mat. So warm with the spray of flowers across the top. So Jamie. His head tilted back and he gazed at the wind chime that hung near her front door. His fingers lifted and brushed against that chime, sending a light peel of music drifting in the air. Then he reached for the door. Locked, of course, because Jamie was the careful sort. Quickly, he glanced under the welcome mat, hoping she’d left a key out for him.

      Not there.

      Like that was supposed to stop him.

      He walked around her house. Found a nice, easy-to-reach window. He grabbed a rock and threw it right through that glass. The window shattered—

      And an alarm split the air.

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